Debussy's one great choral work is "Le martyre de St. Sebastien," written for massive forces including a narrator. Inglebrecht's recording is the touchstone for me, but it was also recorded by Ormandy, Bernstein (with Felicia Monteleagre as narrator), and Ansermet. The only current recording I could find is by Daniele Gatti which seems to be OOP. It's a magnificent opus and well worth your time, Len.

In its original fall, "Martyre" amounts to extensive incidental music for D'Annunzio's play. In the Italian premiere, conducted by Toscanini at La Scala, the title role was danced by Ida Rubinstein, most of the other roles were spoken by actors, and only a few minor roles were sung at all. The "complete" recordings substitute a narrator for all that, and a good thing too. Is it really a "choral work?" No doubt it gives the chorus more to do than any other work by Debussy except possibly “La Damoiselle Élue,” but it's a stage piece. Or it was.

Debussy's one great choral work is "Le martyre de St. Sebastien," written for massive forces including a narrator. Inglebrecht's recording is the touchstone for me, but it was also recorded by Ormandy, Bernstein (with Felicia Monteleagre as narrator), and Ansermet. The only current recording I could find is by Daniele Gatti which seems to be OOP. It's a magnificent opus and well worth your time, Len.

Brian thanks-I'll have to look for this work which I've never heard of-btw on Fri we'll see for the first time le amour dei tre re-wiki says it has elements that remind you of pelleas-nyco is doing it at the rose theater. Tomorrow it's cendrillon at the Met. Len